In a telephone network, a network cable from the central office is connected to a building entrance protector (BEP) located at the customer site, where the individual telephone lines are broken out line-by-line. The network cable, which consist of a plurality of tip-ring wire pairs that each represent a telephone line, is typically connected to a connector block that forms a part of the BEP. Such connectors may be, for example, mini-rocker, tool-less-insulation-displacement (IDC)-type connectors, such as, for example, those sold by A. C. Egerton, Ltd. Other connectors used for telephony wiring applications are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,699 to Vachhani et al., dated May 5, 1987, and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,611,264 to Ellis, dated Oct. 5, 1971.
The customer telephone equipment is coupled through such an IDC connector to, for example, a central office telephone line. The mini-rocker connector generally has a top section that includes two wire insertion holes and a bottom section that houses a pair of terminal strips. The wire insertion holes each accommodate one wire of a tip-ring wire pair. The top section pivots about a generally hinged fixed axis located on the side opposite the wire insertion holes and has a movable latch for maintaining the top section in its closed position.
To open the top section, a user releases the latch member and pivots the top section to its open position. When the top section is in its open position, the terminal strips do not intersect the wire insertion holes, but when the top section is in its closed position, the terminal strips intersect the wire insertion holes. Therefore, to establish an electrical and mechanical connection between the wires and the terminal strips, a user first opens the top section (i.e., pivots the top section to its open position), inserts the pair of wires, and then closes the top section. Upon closing the top section of the connector, the wires are brought into electrical and mechanical contact with the terminal strips. To remove the wires and/or break the electrical connection, the process is reversed.
To verify the integrity of a telephone line, the telephone line may be tested at the connector. The size of a connector makes it difficult for a craftsperson to manipulate the connector without the risk of compromising the connection between the wire and the terminal strip within the connector. For this reason, conventional connectors have been designed to afford test access by providing test channels that are open at all times. In this way, the chance of disrupting the electrical connection during testing is minimized. The connector itself, however, is left vulnerable to elements, such as dust or other particles, that can damage the integrity of the connector and the electrical connection. To minimize potential damage to the connector, it is desirable to provide a connector that has test channels that minimize the ingression of elements that can damage the connector.